WJCC Names 2011 Teachers of the Year

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, April 01, 2011

Three Williamsburg-James City County teachers who have consistently shown their unwavering dedication were toasted as the “Teachers of the Year” on Thursday.

Stonehouse Elementary’s Robin Britt Ford, Berkeley Middle’s Edward Van Dyke and Jamestown High’s Molly Sandling were chosen as the 2011 Teachers of the Year, and were honored with a reception hosted by the WJCC Education Foundation (WJCEF).

“All of us have had teachers that, when we look back over our school years, inspired and encouraged us to be what we are today,” said Andy Hungerman, president of the WJCEF, in a press release. “It is with great pleasure that the Foundation recognizes the winners with this reception.” The winners each received an apple-shaped trophy and a cash prize of $500, donated by sponsors from the area.

Robin Britt Ford, a reading specialist at Stonehouse, was recognized for her in-depth knowledge of research-based reading strategies and her dedication to the academic success of each student. One colleague wrote that she has “come to exemplify the model teacher and leader as described in professional learning community literature.”

She tries to choose reading texts that are of interest to the reader, connect to interdisciplinary content, are well-written, have beautiful illustrations and meaningful messages. She helps students select their own books, in hopes of promoting a lifelong joy of reading.

Ford, who has 17 years of experience with second and third-graders, monitors the reading achievement of almost 700 students. She plans lessons for “Rock the Test” activities, a six-week after-school program for students in third through fifth grades.

Ford applies the same dedication to her hobbies. She breeds and shows dogs at competitions and this year, coordinated fundraising to help the Virginia Legacy Soccer Club travel to Germany during spring break. A three-time graduate of the College of William and Mary, Ford possesses a master’s degree in educational administration, a master’s degree in reading, language and literacy and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Berkeley Middle School history teacher Edward Van Dyke has a way of making history come alive, according to one nominator.

He especially likes to come up with creative ways to help his students remember historical facts. To help them recall the southern colonies of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, he taught them to think, “Mrs. Van Dyke Needs Some Gems.” The “River Wiggle Dance” helps students remember the names, locations and flow directions of various rivers.

Colleagues also praise Van Dyke’s innovative ideas, good humor and unique ability to convince children with behavioral problems to turn themselves into success stories.

Van Dyke earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Wheeling Jesuit University in 1993, followed by a master’s degree in education at Old Dominion University in 2004 and another master’s degree in policy, planning and leadership from the College of William and Mary in 2010. He is currently working toward a doctorate degree in the same field at William and Mary. He will serve as the high school and middle school summer school principal for 2011.

At Jamestown High School, social studies teacher Molly Sandling is considered the “must have” teacher if the student was to be in a creative, engaging classroom, according to her nominator. One creative assignment asks students to invent their own ice cream that highlights ecological problems.

Sandling’s advanced placement students over the past decade have scored at the highest level on the A.P. test. Her colleagues in the geography and history departments across the division use her materials to instruct their students.

Outside school, she has coached the boys and girls Eagle swim teams to multiple state titles and she sponsors the Equalize Our Earth club, which promotes easy ways to help around the world. She also sponsors Jamestown’s Social Studies Honor Society, Rho Kappa. She will spend her summer teacher one of William and Mary’s Gifted Education program summer courses.

Sandling holds a master’s degree in history from Yale University, a master’s degree in education from the College of William and Mary and a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1995.

Superintendent Steven Constantino praised the teachers for “going the extra mile in creativity, community service, caring, or a combination of all of these.” “They have consistently demonstrated effort and passion far above the norm – the kind that our students and their colleagues will remember for years to come because of their student empathy, guidance and instructional expertise,” he said.